How food insecurity may trigger loss-of-control eating in college students
Official title: Testing a Dual-Process Mechanistic Model Linking Food Insecurity and Loss-of-Control Eating
Funded at University of Nevada Las Vegas · NIH-11371398 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores whether not having enough food and worries about body shape or money lead to episodes of loss-of-control eating in undergraduate students.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nevada Las Vegas NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Las Vegas, United States) |
| Project start | April 15, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $146,890 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM153536-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371398 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Undergraduate students who have experienced food insecurity or who notice episodes of loss-of-control eating or strong body-shape/weight concerns.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not college students or who do not experience food insecurity or eating-related concerns are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will ask undergraduate students to report day-to-day experiences of food access, financial stress, body-shape or weight worries, and any episodes of loss-of-control eating using short surveys or phone prompts over time. They'll analyze these repeated reports to see how daily changes in money or food concerns and body-image pressures relate to binge-like eating and academic functioning. The team will use questionnaires and within-person (repeated-measures) methods to map feedback loops between financial stress and traditional eating-disorder pathways. The goal is to identify when and for whom these patterns are strongest so better supports can be designed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform better-targeted prevention and treatment strategies for eating problems among food-insecure students.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has linked food insecurity to higher rates of eating-disorder symptoms, but using day-to-day within-person methods to test these dual pathways in undergraduates is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Christensen Pacella, Kara Alise — University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Study coordinator: Christensen Pacella, Kara Alise
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.